Here’s a quick review of the FREMO:87 meeting in Hemer, Germany that brought together modelers from Germany, the Netherlands, the Czech Republic and the US in a nice facility not far from the old Hemer station which was also featured on the layout.
With 120 meters of track, the Hemer FREMO:87 layout was the world’s largest Proto:87 layout ever assembled and consisted of four branches, including a main line, a Bavarian branch, a private railroad, and a Dutch branch. The layout size and clever timetable kept a crew of 20 to 30 operators busy for hours at a time.
The Dutch branch introduced a number of wonderfully scenicked new modules and sidings, on which I spent considerable time taking pictures while operating local freight and passenger trains. The timetable on this branch was loose enough to allow for frequent rail fanning stops.
There is a growing trend of building track module sections that extend themes and landscaping beyond a single module and provide a more cohesive look. These new sections included a four-piece section modelled after a prototype in the German Allgäu region that featured super elevated track with a transition curve and a three-piece section of a rural Dutch scene with an agricultural access road stretching across the three modules.
A special thank you to Andreas Rittershofer for letting me use his background. Enjoy the photos!
Hemer 2011: FREMO:87 layout in the center (click to enlarge)
Local freight on its way to Hemer
Class 50 engine with local freight leaving Iserlohn Ost
Shunter waiting for orders
Passengers in Iserlohn Ost
A local freight and passenger train meet in Iserlohn Ost
Diesel passenger train waiting at Heinerslust junction
Steam passenger train entering Geisecke
Man working in the distillery near the Dutch border
Super detailed RP25 class 41 engine visits Geisecke
Rural scene on the Bavarian branch
Rail bus in Hölle
New module section with super elevation
Local freight crossing the German Dutch border
Bridge between Nahuis and Schelling
Level crossing in Schelling
Spotting cars in Schelling
Scene in Lintelo
Shunting in Lintelo
Dutch level crossing
Rail bus on the Dutch branch
Cow pasture in the Netherlands
Rail bus to Winterswijk
Loading the vans
